I know what is good.

Sell Out Sunday – Go Fish

Are you really reading blogs on Memorial Day weekend? I think I may have completely failed you by not writing about things to eat and drink or reiterating the difference between grilling and barbecue. Here is all of that in two lines.

If you having burgers and chicken cooked over hot charcoal, you are attending a cookout and not a barbecue. And if you want a cocktail, grab some lemons, gin, sugar and seltzer for this. No, you can’t make it with vodka.

My excuse for leaving you in the lurch is that I was focused on the Tour de Hard Ice Cream, which more than two dozen people showed up for yesterday. Including a few who had never participated in one of these events. It was a great time, even if some of the ice cream was a bit underwhelming.

And now having completely ill prepared you for the holiday tomorrow, I have the gall to write a post that is entirely composed of only lightly-edited press releases that I’ve gotten from the past week? Well, yes. Especially because one is for a good cause and the other sounds like a remarkable piece of good news in the realm of sustainable food in supermarkets.

But just remember, it’s a press release. So the whole truth may look a little different. Still, I’m cautiously optimistic.

First supermarket in the nation to achieve goal of 100 percent compliance

Hannaford Supermarkets announces a new policy that establishes the grocer as the first and only major supermarket in the country to document every seafood product in the supermarket as sustainably harvested.

The new sustainability policy documents where every seafood product in the supermarket comes from – including the seafood farm or specific fishery where it was harvested. [It is] the broadest sustainable seafood policy in the U.S. supermarket industry – covering more than 2,500 products sold across the store, whether those products are fresh, frozen, canned or packaged.

Hannaford’s multi-year effort to achieve this industry-leading milestone has been driving sustainability improvements among dozens of suppliers, and involved product changes in more than 50 instances.

The United Nations estimates that as much as 80 percent of the world’s fisheries are overfished or at their maximum harvest, requiring “effective precautionary management” as a response. Hannaford’s new policy requires suppliers to demonstrate that they are harvesting seafood from fisheries that are governed by effective, science-based management plans, a requirement that is driving change in the industry.

The Memorial Day One
Cold Stone Creamery – Stuyvesant Plaza Honors Those Who Serve this Memorial Day Weekend
Free Ice Cream for Active and Retired Military along with Firefighters and Police Officers

“We want to provide those who serve us with a small token of our appreciation for all that they do,” said Brian White, Vice President of White Management. “In addition to thanking these brave men and women, we are announcing the kick-off of a fundraising campaign for Tech Sgt. John Wilkinson and the Warriors and Quiet Waters Foundation, which provides truly unique fishing experiences to disabled veterans.”

From Saturday, May 26 through Monday, May 28 any and all active members of the military, retired veterans, firefighters and police officers will receive a free Like It Creation™ with proper identification.

Cold Stone Creamery – Stuyvesant Plaza will kickoff a fundraising campaign this weekend to raise money for local veteran, Tech Sgt. John Wilkinson as well as Montana non-profit which supports wounded veterans.

Wilkinson, of Nassau, served in the military from 1997 to 2009 having been deployed to the Middle East on multiple tours of duty. Wilkinson returned from Iraq in 2005 and in September 2006, he started feeling weak and lost feeling in both legs. Doctors do not know what has caused this but now believe it to be an autoimmune disorder that is progressive and degenerative. Efforts are now underway to raise money to build a handicap accessible home for Wilkinson and his family, including three children.

The fundraising effort will culminate with a golf event on Monday, July 16 at the Colonie Golf and Country Club. The proceeds will go to benefit the Warriors and Quiet Waters Foundation, a Montana non-profit with the mission of providing the therapeutic and rehabilitative qualities of fly-fishing to help heal traumatically wounded United States servicemen and women.

“I met a fellow Cold Stone Creamery manager from Montana a few years ago and they asked us about our fundraising efforts here in the Capital Region,” said Sheryl Maralit, manager at Cold Stone Creamery – Stuyvesant Plaza. “We’ve kept in touch and this year we decided to help them raise money for their cause.”

It costs $3,000 – $3,500 per trip and this year’s fundraising goal is to raise $7,000 and send two wounded veterans on a once-in-a-lifetime trip. In addition to the golf outing, White Management and Cold Stone Creamery will be raising money for local veterans from Memorial Day Weekend to July 16. Guests are asked to give generously at the Cold Stone counter.

If you have any questions regarding the July 16 Warriors and Quiet Waters event at the Colonie Golf and Country Club or if you would like to make a donation, please contact Sheryl Maralit at Cold Stone Creamery, 518-514-2003 or drop us a line on facebook at http://www.facebook.com/ColdStoneAlbany

White Management: For more than 40 years, White Management has created great food and memorable dining experiences throughout the Northeast. Regionally, White Management owns several restaurants including; Creo’, Creo’ Caters, Bountiful Bread, Mangia (Slingerlands and Plattsburgh), Central Steak, The Log Jam, and Cold Stone Creamery to name a few. These unique restaurants have helped White Management develop a reputation for delicious food and an exceptional dining experience.